Updated 2001
N.B. : Until 1995, the Academy was an association de facto. When it registered at the Paris police headquarters on 19 December 1995, it provided a simplified version of the Statutes, in accordance with the law. From now on, this version will be called the Statute. The earlier longer version remains in effect within the Academy as its Internal Regulations.
Art. 1 - A society between the adherents to the present statutes is created under the law of 1 July 1901 and the decree of 16 August 1901. It is called “International Academy of the History of Science”.
Art. 2 - This society aims to represent and organise the history of science at an international level.
Art. 3 - Its headquarters are located at the Ecole Nationale des Chartes, 19 rue de la Sorbonne, 75005 Paris. This office may be moved by decision of the Board of Directors, which must then be ratified by the Academy’s members in attendance at its periodic General Assembly (see article 10).
Art. 4 - The Academy includes honorary and active members. In order to become member of the Academy, one must be elected by the general Assembly in accordance with the electoral rules.
Art. 5 – Scholars who have markedly assisted progress in the history of science may be elected as honorary members. Active members make a commitment to pay an annual subscription, the amount of which is fixed by the General Assembly.
Art. 6 Membership is lost by resignation, death, or removal from the register for serious offences, as determined by the Board of Directors (see article 8).
Art. 7 - The resources of the Academy consist of members’ dues, and subventions from international organisations, governments, departments and regions, communes, or any institution or person.
Art. 8 - The Academy is directed by a Council made up as follows : a President, from one to three Vice Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Archivist, elected by the general Assembly for a mandate lasting from one general Assembly to the other, as well as the former Presidents and Secretaries, who are members ex officio. The President and Vice Presidents may be re-elected once, Treasurer and Archivist without time limitation ; the election of the Secretary is subjected to a special procedure, explained in the Internal Regulations.
The President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and Archivist constitute the Board of Directors.
Art. 9 - The Board of Directors meets at least once a year, upon the President or Secretary’s convening.
Art. 10 - The ordinary general Assembly meets every four years at the time and place of the International Congresses of History of Science, held by the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science. Except as otherwise provided in the present statutes, the decisions of the general Assembly are taken by a majority vote of members present.
Art. 11 - In case of need, or upon request from of half plus one of the active members, the President may call an extraordinary session. The decisions are taken by a two-thirds majority of members present.
Art. 12 – The Internal Regulations as well as electoral rules for membership are established by the Board of Directors and submitted to the general Assembly for approval.
Art. 13 - The Academy can be dissolved by a General Assembly especially called for the purpose, by a two-thirds’ majority of members present. In case of dissolution assets, if any, will be distributed according to article 9 of the law of 1 July 1901 and the decree of 16 August 1901.
2. Internal Regulations
Art. 1 - In 1932, the International Academy of the History of Science succeeded the International Committee of the History of Science founded in Oslo on 17 August 1928. It is associated with the Division of History of Science of the IUHPS for purposes of representing and organizing the history of science at an international level. Its headquarters are in Paris.
Art. 2 - The Academy is an association of individual persons. Les effectifs de l’Académie, qui sont depuis 1990 fixés à 120 membres effectifs et 180 membres correspondants, seront portés, à l’échéance de 2009, à 200 membres effectifs et 300 membres correspondants ; cette augmentation du nombre de membres de l’une et l’autre catégorie sera obtenue par la création de nouvelles places de membres lors des élections qui auront lieu d’ici 2009 (à traduire). The Academy also includes honorary members elected from among scholars who, without necessarily being specialized in the history of science, have markedly assisted progress in this field of study.
In assessing the number of places currently filled by effective and corresponding members, no regard shall be had to the fact that honorary members might have formerly been effective or corresponding members of the Academy ; that is to say, when effective or corresponding members are transferred to honorary membership, their places become free.
Art. 3 - There is no statutory allocation of places within the Academy to countries or specialities. Yet even though the criterion of scholarly values takes precedence over that of nationality, the directing officers (to be defined below) are charged to watch over the need for a judicious and reasonable equilibrium and for the effective representation within the Academy of the various countries and specialities.
Art. 4 - The International Academy of the History of Science is directed by a Council made up as follows : former Presidents, as of right ; a President and three Vice-Presidents, all elected for a period lasting from one ordinary general Assembly to the next ; a Permanent Secretary ; and an Archivist able to act on the Academy's behalf at its headquarters in Paris. Under normal circumstances at most one of the Vice-Presidents would be a candidate for re-election. Neither the President nor any Vice-President shall serve for more than two consecutive terms of office.
Art. 5 - Members of the International Academy of the History of Science are elected for life. They hold their ordinary general Assembly, in principle, at the time and place of successive International Congresses of the History of Science.
Elections permitting the nomination of members are subject to procedural rules that are
Honorary members are elected during an ordinary general Assembly, following proposals by Council.
Proposals for honorary membership may be made by effective members, but such proposals, with documentation, will be transmitted at the discretion of Council, and it is to this body that the proposals should be sent in the first instance. A preliminary discussion of proposals for honorary membership will take place at the meeting of Council held in the year before the general Assembly, and as far as possible effective members should transmit their proposals approved by the general Assembly.in time for this meeting. Council's final discussion of the matter will be at the meeting immediately preceding that of the general Assembly.
Only effective members have the right to take part in the election of corresponding and effective members. Corresponding members have the right to propose candidates for corresponding membership. Effective member's right to vote is not absolute, and may be withdrawn after three consecutive abstentions from taking part in the ballot.
Effective and corresponding members alike have the right to vote on Council's proposals for honorary membership, in the course of an ordinary general Assembly.
Art. 6 – In the year of an ordinary General Assembly asks all members to make proposals to fill the different positions on the Board of Directors : one President, three Vice-Presidents, one Archivist, one Treasurer. He then submits to all members the proposals received in order that they may vote by correspondence for the new Board. The Council reads the vote’s results, checks that the composition of the new Board satisfies the rules established in article 4 of the Internal Regulations, and conveys the vote’s results to the General Assembly, in time for their announcement during its ordinary session. The newly elected officers take office at the end of the session.
The session of the Assembly also concerns itself with all questions relating to the administration of the Academy, to its budget, and to its scholarly and practical policies.
If it should happen that the ordinary General Assembly cannot be held, Council is obliged to meet during the corresponding year.
In exceptional cases, and after a favourable vote of Council, the President may call an extraordinary session. This session should be announced four months in advance, and the official discussion may only be concerned with subjects placed on the agenda four months in advance.
Art. 7 - When the office of Permanent Secretary becomes vacant, the President invites (by correspondence) all effective members to propose a candidate. If the same candidate is chosen by at least three-quarters of the effective membership, the candidate is nominated Permanent Secretary. In the contrary case, the effective members are to vote by correspondence for a candidate whom they will choose from a list provided. This list will comprise the names of those who were proposed by at least four effective members. The candidate elected will be the one who obtains at least three-quarters of the votes cast. As many ballots are to be held as are necessary to achieve this result.
Art. 8 - The resources of the Academy are constituted by subventions, by gifts and legacies which it may receive, and by the contributions of its members.
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